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BABY D
Esha D walked into Bollywood scene in 2002. She had a formindable list of successes in the family. Dad Dharmendra is a legend, so is her beautiful mother, Hema. Her step-brothers Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol have seen a lot of success in films. However, bollywood is a funny place. You may have the best connections, the best films lined up, but unless the public accepts you by making your movies a success, you are nowhere. Several star children have fallen by the wayside, and unconnected newcomers have risen to great heights.
Baby D - Esha, looks good, acts well and is able to bag prestigious films, all she needs is a string of successes and critical acclaim to be able to call herself established.
ASK MY HEART
Her debut was good. She had Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche which was loosely based on Sleeping with the Enemy, but the box office refused to sleep with this film. She starred with Aftab Shivdasani who was riding the tidal wave thanks to Mast.
Her next was a romantic movie with Hritik the hearthrob, Na Tum Jano Na Hum. It was a dream project but Hritik was on a downslide and the movie flopped.
Kya Dil Ne Kahaa co-starred Esha with Tusshar. Tusshar was smiling post the success of Mujhe Kuch Kehna hai. This movie had the hit number Nikamma Kiya Is Dil ne, and it had a good look too. Set in Australia, it was to appeal to the NRI crowd too. But it did not do good business.
SOMETHING'S UP
Kucch To Hai was a mystery thriller in the mold of I know what you did last summer. It was about a bunch of schoolkids out to solve a mystery. Esha costarred again with Tusshar and the Ekta it-girl, Natasha. The movie had several good songs that were all over the music charts. Tere ishq ki dewaangi sar pe chadh ke bole was a big hit. The movie enjoyed moderate success.
Up next was the Zayed Khan debut film Chura Liya Hai Tumne. Again, a mystery flick. The action was set in Bangkok and had some good songs. Mohabbat hai mirchi featured Zayed and Rakhi, but Boys are best had Zayed with Esha. Alas, the movie did not do well.
LOVE AND WAR
LOC Kargil was the JP Dutta opus on the Kargil war. But to increase the poignancy factor there were profiles of the dear ones of the soldiers who have to suffer heartbreak when their men are killed in war. Esha played the girlfriend of Vikram Batra, one of the martyrs of the war.
Mani Ratnam has a magic wand that makes all his actors perform better in his movies than they do elsewhere. In Yuva, Esha had the bold role of a young teacher who is willing to flout norms of society and live with the man she adores. In a spunky gesture she picks up her baggage and moves in with Ajay Devgan. The wonderful Adnan Sami/Alka Yagnik number Badal jo aaye was picturised on Esha just when she has been proposed to by Ajay Devgan. She put in a good performance.
A STRING OF SUCCESSES
Dhoom was a bollywood movie with a difference. It was slick, fast, short and almost hollywoodian. Esha had a complete makeover here. So far she had played a teenager in romantic movie, the kinda girl you can take home to your mother. Here she lost weight, toned her body, put on a bronze makeup, wore skimpy clothes and plyed the hottie of the movie. The title megahit song, Dhoom was picturised on her, and she played the love interest of Uday Chopra. She even had the 'venus rising out of the waves' scene where she walks out of the ocean in a swimsuit - alas - a one peice. Dhoom was the first major success that Esha tasted.
Insaan, the insane movie containing many many stars, Esha played the girlfriend of Akshay Kumar, who played a muslim autorickshaw driver. Their story was the best of the lot.
Kaal was a prestigious project, a Karan Johar film and supposedly a jungle horror. Esha played John Abraham's girlfriend and scared the wild animals by wearing skimpy clothes. The movie was moderately successful.
Main Aisa Hi Hoon featured Esha as the spaced out wife of Ajay Devgan. The movie was a take off on Sam I am. Not a huge success though Esha's good performance was noted.
Dus again had Esha as an undercover criminal. She wore grim faces and hot clothes. She falls for Abhishek and helps him out at the end of the movie. The movie was a success, being a fast-paced action flick.
PART OF THE BIG PICTURE
In No Entry our little girl played the pious wife of Salman Khan who is a compulsive flirt. The movie was one of biggest hits of 2005 and being a part of that helped.
Shaadi No 1 was similar in story to No Entry, all about straying husbands and wives who seek to outwit them. However this multistarring movie did not work.
Pyaare Mohan was a fun movie with lots of comedy and silly sequences. Esha was paired with Fardeen Khan. The movie did not do well but was well appreciated.
Ankahee was the Vikram Bhatt movie about (allegedly) his own affair with Sushmita Sen. Esha plays a tempramental beauty queen who becomes obsessed with her married lover. The movie flopped though Esha's performance was acclaimed.
CURRENT YEAR - 2007
This year started out with Just Married with Fardeen. It met with the same fate as the Titanic, not the movie, the ship!
Cash was slated as the next Dus. But the plot went haywire, the movie confused and confounded the viewers. The majority stayed away from the cinema halls.
Darling was the RGV release with Fardeen again. But failed to endear anyone.
FUTURE TENSE
Although Esha is seen as a good-looker who performs creditably, she hasnt tasted awesome success. She is still young in the filmdom and may be able to get a project that proves her worth soon.
Golmaal Returns is the remake of the hilarious and madcap Golmaal. Esha has bagged the project, and if the II is any good as I it may just shake the boxoffice tree.
GOSSSSSIP
The Deols are known to be very protective of their womenfolk. It is said that Esha is too scared to strip or kiss in films because she fears her father. All the raunchier dances in her films (Mohabbat hai Mirchi, Ding Dong) have been performed by others (Rakhi Sawant, Natasha).
Her mother is still very successful even when she appears in mother roles, and is still seen as more beautiful than her daughters.
So far, no gossip about Esha has leaked out. Either she is a very good girl, or she is very good at hiding facts.
FILMOGRAPHY
- Golmaal Returns (2008) (announced)
- Darling (2007/III) .... Gita Menon
- Cash (2007) .... Pooja
- Just Married (2007) .... Ritika
- Mera Dil Leke Dekho (2006) .... Woman at airport
- Ankahee (2006) (as Esha) .... Kaavya Krishna
- Pyare Mohan (2006) (as Esha) .... Preeti
- Shaadi No. 1 (2005) .... Diya
- No Entry (2005) .... Pooja (Prem's wife)
- Dus (2005) .... ATC Agent Neha
- Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005) .... Maya D. Trivedi
- Kaal (2005) .... Riya Thapar
- Insan (2005) .... Heena
- Dhoom (2004) (as Esha) .... Sheena
- Ayitha Ezhuthu (2004) .... Gitanjali
- Yuva (2004) .... Radhika
- LOC: Kargil (2003) .... Mithu/Twinkle (Batra's girlfriend)
- Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne (2003) .... Tina Khanna
- Kucch To Hai (2003) .... Tanya
- Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa (2002) .... Esha
- Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002) .... Esha Malhora
- Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002) .... Eisha Singh
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